Conveyor belt fastenrs

ABSTRACT

A rubberized conveyor belt fastener is provided including a plate portion and elastomeric material that extends beyond lateral sides of the plate so that gaps between adjacent plate portions in a conveyor belt splice can be minimized. The plate portions can also include elastomeric material extending over the upper surface thereof to better absorb impact forces therewith. Preferably, the elastomeric material connects a strip of plates together. Both upper and lower plates can be provided with elastomeric material with the lower plates of solid plate fasteners having bolts preassembled thereto deriving the additional benefit of utilizing the elastomeric material to hold the bolt head in its lower plate aperture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No.10/382,996, filed Mar. 4, 2003, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.§ 119 of prior provisional application No. 60/361,482, filed Mar. 4,2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fasteners for splicing conveyor belttogether and, more specifically, to conveyor belt fasteners havingrubber associated therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For splicing ends of conveyor belts together, metal belt fasteners arecommonly employed that are secured to the belt ends as by various typesof attachment members such as staples, bolts, rivets, and the like. Themetal fasteners can be either of the hinged variety wherein they includeplates attached onto one belt end and having loops projecting from thebelt end that mate with loops of hinge fasteners attached on the otherbelt end for receiving a hinge pin therethrough, or can be of the solidplate variety where the fasteners span the belt ends for being attachedthereto and thus do not employ a hinge pin. In either instance, themetallic fasteners provide distinct splice points along the run of theconveyor belt system where conveyor components that engage the beltsurfaces such as belt cleaners, rollers and the conveyed material itselfchute fed onto the belt will impact a harder material than that of thebelt material that they otherwise would normally engage. These impactscause abrasion and wear of these engaging components and can lead tounsatisfactory performance and their premature failure, and can alsogenerate environmental problems such as where the conveyed material,e.g. rocks, coal, sand, etc., is broken up into fine air-borne particlesby being dropped onto the metallic splice.

Most conveyor belts have an elastomeric or PVC-type material in whichcarcass material is embedded for strength purposes so that the conveyorbelt covers against which, for example, blades of the belt cleaners arebiased for scraping their surfaces clean will transition at the splicefrom engaging the softer rubber or PVC belt covers to the hardermetallic material of the splice fasteners. This engagement with themetallic splices can induce vibrations in the cleaner blade generating acondition called “chattering” of the cleaner which can cause excessivedamage to the conveyor belts. Accordingly, there is a need for aconveyor belt fastener that reduces the deleterious effects of highimpact forces with metallic splices in terms of excessive wear ofconveyor components such as the above-described belt chattering problemsand the environmental problems that can be caused by impacts of theconveyed material with the splice.

Another problem with the typical belt fasteners is the gap spacingprovided between the distinct fasteners along a particular splice. Thesegaps provide spaces for material such as aggregate rock material to siftbetween the fasteners and below to the interface between the rollers andthe lower surface of the conveyor belts as well as to the other drivemechanisms under the belt. Also, conveyed material can get stuck inthese gaps where belt cleaners cannot reach the material such that it iscarried back on the return run of the conveyor. With solid platefasteners, the fasteners are typically individually applied to the beltends via a template that provides them with an optimum spacing betweeneach other so that the belt can trough at a desired angle along thesides thereof to keep the material on the belt from falling off thesides, as is known. Further, the spacing is selected so that the holesthrough the belt for the attachment members, e.g. such as bolts for thesolid plate fasteners, are not so frequent so as to damage the beltintegrity and create undue weakness therein. Accordingly, there is aneed for a belt fastener that allows for belt troughing while stillminimizing sifting and carry back of conveyed material between adjacentplates along a splice formed by the fasteners.

For the high force impact problem such as manifested in one example byblade chattering, applicants' assignee herein has employed a solid platefasteners having individual upper plates thereof having a thin coat ofan elastomeric material thereon. While this fastener is likely to betterabsorb the forces of impact between, for instance, the cleaner and thebelt splice formed with these fasteners, they do little to address thesifting problem created by the gaps left between adjacent platesattached along the belt ends in the splice. Another shortcoming is thetime needed to clean flashing from those plates having thin rubbercoatings individually molded thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,571 discloses a belt joining device having a generalH-shape with two pairs of opposing flanges that are to be secured ontothe respective belt ends for splicing the belts together via smallembedded grommetted inserts for receiving attachment members that extendthrough the belt. This joining device generally uses conveyor belt-typematerial including rubber material having carcass reinforcement cablesarranged in a pattern embedded in the material. Like a conveyor belt, itis these reinforcement cables that provide the H-joining device itsstrength, and thus the flanges generally are fairly thick to accommodatethe cables extending therein for strength purposes and therefore are ofa higher profile than desired.

Accordingly, while the joining device of the '571 patent accommodatestroughing of the conveyor belt, it has been found that in practice itgenerates excessive chatter of the cleaning blade producing damage tothe conveyor belt adjacent splice. The high profile creates high forceimpacts with the blade cleaner that tend to damage the joining devicedecreasing the life of the splice more rapidly than is desired. With thedamage to the belt caused by the chatter of the blade adjacent to thesplice, when the splice fails, the splice installer has to take out agreater amount of the belt including the adjacent damaged portionthereof for forming the new splice. In many conveyor belt systems, thereis insufficient belt length on the take-up portion of the system toallow for splicing by removing these large portions of the belt at thedamaged splice. Moreover, it has been found that in high tensionapplications, the joining device is more likely to fail as the rubbermaterial thereof stretches. With multiple rows of attachment members,the row closest to the belt end sees most of the loading and once itfails, either the joining device will catastrophically fail along thatattachment row or the remaining rows of attachment members also begin tofail.

Accordingly, a conveyor belt fastener that reduces the force of impactsof conveyor system components including cleaner blades as well asconveyed material therewith and chatter of the blades along the conveyorbelt and damage to the belt would be desired. Further, and as mentioned,the belt fastener preferably minimizes sifting and carry back ofmaterial on the belt to areas therebelow while still enabling conveyorbelt troughing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a conveyor belt fastenerhaving a plate portion and elastomeric material associated therewith isprovided where the elastomeric or rubber material extends beyond lateralsides of the plate to enable the fasteners to be applied to belt ends inclosely spaced or abutting side-to-side relation with each other alongthe splice formed therewith. In this manner, the present belt fastenerminimizes gaps between adjacent fasteners in a splice that wouldotherwise provide for spaces through which conveyed material could betrapped and/or sift down under the conveyor belts onto the rollers ofthe conveyor system and drive mechanisms associated therewith. Further,because of the extending rubber lateral portions, adjacent fasteners cantake on other than a planar orientation relative to each other as may benecessary when the conveyor belt is troughed along its upper run as byupward inclination of the conveyor belt sides to keep conveyed materialfrom falling off the sides of the belt.

It is preferred that the elastomeric material forming the lateralportions also extend over the top of the plate portion of the fastenerso that when conveyed material is fed onto the belt and components ofthe conveyor system that are engaged with the belt surfaces such ascleaner blades encounter the splices, the impact forces with thefasteners in the splice are absorbed by the softer, resilientelastomeric material covering the metallic material plate portion,reducing damaging impacts to the plate itself and the tendency for theimpact to generate chattering of the blade along the belt surface.Further, the environmental problems associated with the impacts ofconveyed materials with the fastener should be minimized. Thus, thepresent rubber-coated fastener provides anti-sifting capabilities whilestill allowing troughing of the conveyor belts. With the fastener havingrubber-coated plates, the life of the fasteners and other conveyorcomponents that impact thereagainst will be increased and damage to theconveyor belt caused by chattering of the belt cleaner blade therealongwill be reduced.

The preferred conveyor belt fasteners described herein are solid platefasteners having upper plates and distinct or separate lower plates withthe upper plates being rubber-coated as described above. However, itwill be recognized that other fastener configurations are alsocontemplated such as the previously described hinged-type fastenershaving a plate portion with loops projecting therefrom. In thisinstance, the rubber coating extends over the plate portion with theloops preferably uncoated with any elastomeric material.

As is apparent, the strength of the splice of the present rubber-coatedfasteners is mainly derived from the strength of the metallic fastenerplate portion akin to present commercially available metallic beltfasteners having plate portions such as the solid or hinged typefasteners previously described. Thus, the present rubber-coatedfasteners are well-suited to high tension applications. Further, theanti-sifting and anti-carryback features provided by the lateralportions that extend laterally beyond the sides of the plate asdescribed above enable the plates to be positioned along the end of thebelt in the same manner as the non-coated plate fasteners. In otherwords, the spacing of the present plate fasteners can be set with theidentical templates used with the corresponding non-coated platefasteners provided by the assignee herein, thereby not reducing thestrength of the conveyor belt material as by having too many closelyspaced through holes formed therein for receipt of the attachmentmembers or bolts therethrough.

In a preferred form of the invention, the elastomeric material connectsa plurality of plates together so that the rubber-coated fastener platesare provided in a strip thereof. The rubber-coated strip of fastenerplates significantly eases installation, particularly of the solid platetype of fasteners as these are normally separate from each other unlikemost hinged fasteners that have bridge portions extending therebetween.Instead of having to pull out individual upper plates from a box orbucket of such plates for placing on the protruding ends of boltsextending through the belt and above the upper surface thereof, anentire rubber-coated strip can be removed with several plates placedsimultaneously over the ends of the bolt members. Accordingly, therubber-coated strip of fastener plates is much easier to handle and doesnot require as much time to install. Further, where the lateral portionsof the elastomeric material are in the form of connecting portions thatextend between adjacent plates and which allow the plates to resilientlyflex relative to each other acting as hinges therebetween duringtroughing of the conveyor belt, there are no gaps between the platesthrough which conveyed material can sift.

In one form, the strip of the fastener plates are of the solidplate-type fasteners so that there are upper and lower plates that areseparate from each other, unlike the upper and lower plates joined byloops in the hinged fasteners. In this regard, the plates that areflexibly connected by the elastomeric connecting portions are the upperplates.

As mentioned, with these types of solid plate fasteners, the lowerplates are positioned via a template to achieve the proper spacing ofthe plate fasteners along the splice to provide good holding power whileminimizing the number of through holes formed in the belt end. Theattachment members of these plate fasteners which preferably are boltsgenerally are preassembled to the lower plates to reduce installationtime as by clips or washers held on the bolt shank such as disclosed inapplicants' Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,131. However, the clips orwashers require special preassembly steps and equipment therefor that israther costly to man and operate.

Accordingly, the present invention also contemplates the use of elasticmaterial in apertures of lower plates in which the attachment membersare to extend. More particularly, with the bolt form of the attachmentmembers, the bolts will have an enlarged head that seats in the lowerplate aperture, and the elastic material secures the head therein. Inthis manner, the use of clips or washers and the associated assemblyexpense therewith is avoided. Instead, like the strip of upper plates,several lower plates and associated bolt attachment members can bemolded with the elastomeric material in situ, avoiding the need forspecialized equipments associated with preassembly of the washers, forexample. Also, the elastomeric material can also be coated on thesurface of the lower plates facing toward the rollers to provide lesswear thereon and quieter conveyor operations. To this end, the lowerplates can also be provided with elastomeric connecting portions so thatthey are molded and attached in strip form like the upper plates toreduce installation time. The lateral plate spacing in the strip ispreset to the desired spacing between the plates along the belt ends.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a strip of connected upper plates of a conveyorbelt fastener in accordance with the present invention showingelastomeric material covering the plates and extending therebetween andhaving scalloped leading and trailing edges;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the strip of fastener plates of FIG.1 showing the thickness of the layer of elastomeric materialinterconnecting the plates and teeth depending from the plates;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken from FIG. 2 showing a cutting grooveformed between two adjacent plates;

FIGS. 4A-4D show both strips and individual rubberized plates attachedonto conveyor belts having both flat and troughed configurationsthereof;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a prior solid plate fastener showingupper and lower plates thereof and bolts preassembled to the lowerplates;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation view of one of the prior lower plates andpreassembled bolts with shanks of the bolts extending in throughopenings formed in adjacent belt ends to be spliced together;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a prior upper plate placed onthe upper surfaces of the belt ends with protruding bolt ends extendingin the apertures of the upper plate and nuts tightened thereon to drawthe belt ends together;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are plan and elevational views of a strip of rubberizedlower plates similar to those shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B having boltspreassembled thereto;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a strip of rubberized upper plates showing atapered lead-in portion; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged elevational view of one of the end plates of thestrip of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a strip 10 of fastener plates 12 is shown that areinterconnected by, and preferably coated with, an elastomeric material14 in accordance with the present invention. As has been noted, whilethe preferred and illustrated conveyor belt fasteners are of the solidplate variety, it is manifest that other belt fastener configurationscould also be employed in accordance with the present invention.Accordingly, the illustrated plates 12 are upper plates in the solidplate fastener 16, such as the prior solid plate fastener shown in FIGS.5-7. Such a plate fastener is commercially available from the assigneein their Bolt Solid Plate Fastener System line of products and isdescribed in applicants' assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,559,131 and6,293,302, which are incorporated by reference herein. Accordingly, therubber coated fastener plates 12 herein are able to be utilized in thesame manner from a load bearing or PIW (pounds-per-inch of belt width)strength rating perspective as the prior noncoated solid plate fastenersincluding in medium and heavy-duty applications. Further, the plates 12could also be lower plates in the solid plate fastener 16 that arecoated with the elastomeric material 14 (FIGS. 4A-4D), as will bedescribed more fully hereinafter.

Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the plates 12 have a length and a width andhave recessed apertures 18 and 20 formed at either end thereof alongtheir length. As illustrated, the plates 12 each include a singleaperture 18, 20 at their respective ends for being aligned to receive anattachment member that extends through a conveyor belt, although largerplates having greater numbers of apertures could also be employed. Theplates 12 have opposite sides 22 and 24 that generally extend parallelto each other along the plate length and are spaced from each otheralong the plate width. The sides 22 and 24 are interconnected by curvedends 26 and 28 of the plates 12.

The plates 12 are provided with teeth 30 that depend from the platesides 22 and 24. As shown, a pair of teeth 30 are adjacent plate end 26,and a pair of teeth 30 are adjacent to plate end 28 with each pair beingoffset from each other in the lengthwise direction of the plate 12. Theteeth 30 are bent from the plates 12 so that they have an upper portion32 that projects beyond their respective plate sides 22 or 24. The teeth30 extend from the upper portion 32 down to tapered ends 34 that come toa point for piercing the conveyor belt 36 when the fasteners 16 aresecured to the end portions 38 thereof.

It is preferred that the plates 12 be flexibly connected together viathe elastomeric material 14 as by molding of the elastomeric material 14to a predetermined number of the plates 12 (herein shown as a strip 10of six plates 12). The in situ molding of the plurality of the upperplates 12 together so that they have a layer of elastomeric material 14extending thereon and along the strip 10 provides for several distinctadvantages over, for example, prior conveyor belt fasteners such asshown in FIGS. 5-7. In particular, since the upper plates 12 are nolonger separate, handling and application procedures become easier andfaster. With the present rubber coated conveyor belt fastener platestrip 10, the installer can simultaneously place a number of plates 12into position so that protruding ends 40 of attachment members in theform of bolts 42 are received in the apertures 18 and 20. Thus, theinstaller does not have to handle separate plates and individuallyposition them onto the belt so that the bolt ends 40 are located in theapertures of the plates.

Another significant advantage is in having lateral portions 44 of theelastomeric material 14 that extend laterally in the widthwise directionof the plates 12 beyond the sides thereof by a predetermined amount,preferably beyond the teeth 30, e.g. 0.07 inch rubber extension past theteeth 30 where dimensions are 1.035 inches across the teeth 30 on eitherside of the plate 12 and 0.815 inch across the sides of the plate 12itself, so as to provide the rubber-coated fasteners herein andparticularly the rubber-coated strip 10 of fastener upper plates 12 withimproved anti-sifting and anti-carryback capabilities. In this regard,it is noted that the lateral portions 44 are integrally connected withlateral portions 44 of adjacent plates 12 in the strip 10 so as to formelastomeric connecting portions therebetween, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.However, it is to be recognized that the laterally extending portions 44with individual plates 12 that are not in strip form are stilladvantageously employed for anti-sifting purposes and anti-carryback inthat they can be closely spaced or abutted against the laterallyextending elastomeric material portions 44 of adjacent plates 12 in asplice so as to minimize the gaps therebetween through which conveyedmaterial may be trapped and/or sift down to the rollers and otheroperating components of the conveyor belt system.

Because the portions 44 are of an elastomeric or rubber material, thesplice formed with such anti-sifting rubber-coated plates 12 is stillable to have the plates 12 reorient so that they are angled from agenerally planar relationship with each other as when the belt 36 is ina troughed configuration at the sides thereof (see FIGS. 4B and 4D). Inother words, even with the close spacing or abutment of the elastomericportions 44 or if they are integral connecting portions as shown, therubber material can flex so that adjacent plates can be angled in otherthan a planar relative orientation with respect to each other for belttroughing purposes. That is, outer plates 12 along the splice can bebent, angled or gradually curved upward relative to inner adjacentplates 12 at the points where such bending or curving of the troughedconveyor belt 36 occurs toward the sides thereof. Further, suchlaterally extending elastomeric portions 44 do not require that thesides 22, 24 of adjacent plates 12 be spaced unduly close to each otherso as to require an excessive number of throughholes 46 be formed in thebelt ends 38 for reducing the gap spacing between adjacent plates 12, asotherwise would be necessary without the elastomeric lateral portions44, as described herein. In this manner, the strength of the belt 36having the splice applied thereto is maintained the same as when thesplice employs corresponding non-coated fastener plates.

Returning to the strip form of the plates 12, it is noted that thepreferred and illustrated strip 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 not only includesthe lateral elastomeric portions 44, but also a layer 48 of rubberelastomeric material formed on and over the top of the plates 12. Inthis regard, the plates 12 molded in situ with the elastomeric material14 can have the elastomeric layer 48 including the connecting portions44 between adjacent plates formed integrally and simultaneously in themold.

By having a continuous layer 48 of rubber material 14 extending acrossthe entire strip 10 of the plates 12, there is a soft cushion againstwhich cleaner blades, for instance, will engage when they encounter thesplice using the present plate strip 10 herein. It has been found thatthe rubber-coated strip 10 generates far less blade chatter andsignificantly reduces damage to the conveyor belt 36 caused therebyadjacent to the splice. In this manner, the present rubber-coated platestrip 10 obviates the need to take out large portions of the belt 36surrounding the spliced conveyor belt ends 38 when the splice thereatfails for forming a new belt splice. Further, the layer 48 ofelastomeric material coated onto the top of the plates 12 extends thelife of the fasteners 16 by reducing the hard impacts that the plates 12of the fastener 16 will experience during conveyor belt operations as byengagement with the cleaner blades, conveyed materials and otherconveyor components, as has been described. In addition, the rubbercoating provides an extra layer of wear material on top of the plates 12for protecting them against wear and ultimate failure to increase splicelife.

An additional advantage of the rubber-coated strip 10 of plates 12 overthe assignee's prior individually thin rubber-coated plates relates totheir manufacture. In the present strip 10, the sides 22 and 24 of eachof the plates 12 are substantially embedded in the rubber material 14,whereas in the prior individual rubber-coated fasteners theircorresponding sides were only coated with a very thin film of rubbermaterial from which excessive flashing generated by the molding processhad to be removed. As is apparent, the individual cleaning of each ofthe upper plates is a very tedious and time-consuming process. Incontrast, the present rubber-coated plate strip 10 substantially reducesthe surface area from which flashing must be cleaned for the same numberof fastener plates 12. In particular, no longer must flashing be cleanedoff the sides 22 and 24 of the plates 12 as they are embedded in therubber material.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rubber material 14 can be molded so that itgenerally follows the contour of the curved ends 26 and 28 of the plate12 to provide outboard or leading and/or trailing edges 50 and 52 thatextend in a substantially non-linear direction in the widthwisedirection of the plates 12 and transverse to the travel direction of theconveyor belt 36 and thus transverse to the length of the typicalstraight-edge cleaning blades that scrape the surface of the belt 36during conveyor belt operations. In this manner, the present strip 10avoids blunt edge impacts with the fastener edges 50 or 52 that wouldotherwise increase the impact force between the blade and the fastenerstrip 10. As shown, this other than linear configuration can be ascalloped or wavy shape so that there are curved concave portions 54that are recessed back from the curved convex projecting portions 56with the recessed portions 54 aligned with the connecting portions 44between the plates 12 and the projecting portions 56 aligned with thecurved plate ends 26, 28. With skived belts, the edges 50, 52 can have alinear configuration normal to the belt width for abutting the generallyvertical endwall formed in the skived groove at the conveyor belt endportion 38.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the upper plates 12 can be provided withan inclined or tapered lead-in portion 82 of rubber material 14 wherethe belts 36 are not skived. The taper of the lead-in portion 82 extendsdownwardly from the upper surface of the plates 12 and can extend downfurther than the plates 12 themselves as shown in FIG. 11 connected inthe strip 10 toward the surface of the conveyor belt to which the plates12 are clamped. These lead-in portions 82 are oriented to extend fromthe plates 12 in the travel direction of the belt 36 so as to minimizeimpact forces with conveyor belt cleaners and the like. In the strip 10,the lead-in portions 82 are integrally connected.

Grooves 84 in the material 14 can be provided on either side of each ofthe plates 12. The grooves 84 preferably extend lengthwise from adjacentthe transition between the plate sides 22, 24 and the leading end 28 andinto the lead-in portion 82. In the illustrated form, the grooves 84have a diamond shape so that they are widest where the taper portion 82begins. The grooves 84 provide take-up locations for the adjacent rubbermaterial 14 when the strip 10 is installed with the lead-in portion 82tightly engaged on the surface of the belt 36. Also, although shown ashaving a relatively long length and used with plates 12 having curvedends 28, it is anticipated that the lead-in portion 82 will perform wellor even better if shortened in length and with plates 12 having astraight end edge to minimize the amount of rubber material 14 extendingaway from the plate ends.

The rubber material 14 itself can be selected to impart various desiredproperties thereto for the environment of conveyor belt operations. Forinstance, the rubber material 14 molded onto the plates 12 can have anyone or combination of enhanced fire, electrostatic, oil, wear, and/orU.V. resistance imparted thereto. Additionally, the rubber 14 can beenhanced from a strength and wear standpoint such as by providing itwith carcass material embedded therein similar to what can be used inthe conveyor belts 36. In this regard, the thickness of the elastomericlayer 48 can be varied as needed to accommodate for such strength andwear-enhancing fibrous or carcass material keeping in mind the need tokeep the profile low, particularly with belts that are not skived attheir end portions 38.

Turning next to some exemplary dimensions for the rubber-coated platestrip 10, where six plates 12 are attached in a strip 10 as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the overall strip length can be 7.039 inches with thespacing between the center points of apertures 18, 20 of adjacent platesbeing approximately 1.173 inches. This side-to-side spacing of theplates 12 will correspond to the spacing of bottom plates 12 a as set bythe standard template used for these fasteners 16, as previouslydescribed. With the above spacing, the end plates 12 in the strip 10 canhave rubber material 14 extending beyond the respective sides 22, 24thereof such that the spacing between the center point of theirapertures 18, 20 and parallel sides 58 and 60 of the rubber 14 in thestrip 10 is approximately 0.587 inch. The sides 58 and 60 interconnectthe outboard edges 50 and 52 of the strip. The thickness of the rubberlayer 48 without embedded carcass material, for example, can beapproximately 0.218 inch.

Referring next to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the connecting portions 44in the fastener strip 10 are provided with thinned areas 62 as by a thinlinear channel or groove 64 formed therein. These thinned areas 62 andgroove 64 serve as cutting areas with the groove 64 guiding a cuttingimplement therein to allow an installer to reduce the number of plates12 in a strip 10, as may be needed. As shown, the groove 64 is formed onthe underside of the rubber layer 48 between each adjacent plate 12. Inthe illustrated strip having the exemplary dimensions set forth above,the groove 64 can have a depth of 0.063 inch and a width of 0.063 inch.

A further advantage of the groove 64 relates to the installation of thefasteners 16. When nuts 66 are tightened down onto the protruding boltends 40, the grooves 64 allow the rubber material 14 to stretch orcontract acting as a type of hinge or pivot point between the plates 12so as to provide a take-up or relief point between adjacent plates 12 asthey are clamped down onto the upper surface of belt end portions 38.Optionally, the strip 10 or 72 (discussed hereinafter) can includechamfered or beveled corners 69 to minimize the size or profile of anyprojecting portions of elastomeric material 14 when the strip 10 ofplates 12 or plates 12 a is clamped down onto the belts 36 and installedthereon.

Referring next to FIGS. 4A-4D, the fasteners 16 can also employelastomeric material 68 associated with the bottom plates 12 a thereofin much the same manner as previously described with the upper plates12. To this end, the elastomeric or rubber material 68 may consistprimarily of laterally extending portions 70 either formed on individualplates 12 a (FIGS. 4C and 4D), or they can be integral with lateralportions 70 of adjacent plates so as to form connecting portions betweeneach of the plates 12 a for connecting them in a strip 72 of lowerplates 12 a. In this regard, the lower plates 12 a can be molded in situso that there is a layer 74 of the elastomeric material 68 that extendsacross the top of the plates 12 a (that is, the plate surface facingaway from the belt 36) and which extends across and between the adjacentplates 12 a via the connecting portions, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 8 and9. In this instance, the strips 10 and 72 of upper and lower plates 12 aand 12 b cooperate to form a double seal against sifting of conveyedmaterial from the upper surface of the belts down and past the lowerplates 12 a to the underside of the conveyor belt 34. By having a layer74 extending on the lower plates 12 a and either interconnecting them ina strip 72 or having the plates 12 a separate from each other in theirindividual form, the rubber-coated plates 12 a will lower the impactforces generated by the engagement of the splice with the conveyor beltrollers, other conveyor components, and conveyor structure reducing wearof both the fastener plates 12 a and the rollers. Further, thiscushioning of the impact forces with the rollers, other conveyorcomponents, and conveyor structure will quiet conveyor belt operationssignificantly.

It is also advantageous to have the elastic material 68 simply employedin the corresponding apertures 18 a and 20 a of the lower plates 12 afor holding bolt heads 76 substantially fixed therein. In this manner,the prior clips or washers shown in FIGS. 5-7 no longer need to beutilized to preassemble the bolts 42 to the lower plates 12 a. Instead,the rubber material 68 disposed in the apertures 18 a and 20 a will besufficient to tightly hold the bolt heads 76 therein. In situ molding ofthe bolts 42 to the lower plates 12 a should save substantial time andexpense in the preassembly of the bolts 42 to the plates 12 a overprevious procedures used for this purpose.

While described as having the elastomeric material 68 only molded intothe apertures 118 a and 20 a, manifestly with the previously describedforms of the rubberized lower plates 12 a either individually or instrip form, such deposit of rubber material 14 in the plate apertures 18a and 20 a can inherently take place in forming the coating of therubber onto the plates 12 a. With rubber material 68 holding the boltheads 76 in the apertures 18 a and 20 a, there is a lesser likelihood ofthe heads 76 turning in their respective apertures 18 a and 20 a whenthe nuts 66 are tightened down into the corresponding apertures 18 and20 of the upper plates 12. In other words, the elastomeric material 68will better adhere the bolt heads 76 via the diametrically oppositeslots 78 thereof to the opposing anti-rotation nubs 80 formed on thelower plates 12 a and projecting into the apertures 18 a and 20 a.Alternatively, the formation of the slots 78 and nubs 80 can be reversedto be on the plates 12 a and bolt heads 76, respectively. In the priorfasteners such as shown in FIG. 5, despite the presence of theanti-rotation slots 78 and nubs 80, tightening of the nuts 66 sometimescause the bolt head 76 to shift so that they are not seated in theapertures 18 a and 20 a such that the slots 78 no longer are inregistery with the nubs 80. This allows turning of the bolt heads 76 inthe apertures 18 a and 20 a so that the clamping force of the plates 12and 12 a against the upper and lower surfaces of the belt end portion 38will not be as great as otherwise possible. Thus, by addition of theelastomeric material 68, it is anticipated that the heads 76 will beeffectively adhered to the anti-rotation nubs 80 so as to prevent theirturning in the apertures 18 a and 20 a and displacement out therefromallowing the clamping force on the belt surfaces by the plates 12 and 12a to be maximized with the fasteners 16 herein.

While there have been illustrated and described particular embodimentsof the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changesand modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it isintended in the appended claims to cover all those changes andmodifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

1. A strip of conveyor belt fasteners that remain connected duringoperations of a conveyor belt system with the conveyor belt having atroughed configuration, the conveyor belt fastener strip comprising: aplurality of plates of metallic material for being attached onto an endof a conveyor belt; and elastomeric connecting portions of elastomericmaterial extending between and connecting adjacent plates in thefastener strip and configured to allow the plates to reorient to beangled upwardly from a generally planar orientation relative to eachother via resilient flexing of the elastomeric material of theconnecting portions during troughing of the conveyor belt and tosubstantially obviate trapping or sifting of conveyed material betweenthe plates.
 2. The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1 wherein theplates each have a first belt facing surface and second surface facingaway from the belt, and the elastomeric connecting portions have firstand second elastomeric surfaces corresponding to the first and secondplate surfaces with the second elastomeric surface corresponding to theplate second surface not being recessed therefrom to avoid providingareas for collection of conveyed material on the second elastomericsurface.
 3. The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1 wherein theelastomeric connecting portions include gaps facing the conveyor belt toallow for pivoting of adjacent connected plates relative to each othervia stretching or contracting of the elastomeric material of theelastomeric connecting portions.
 4. The conveyor belt fastener strip ofclaim 1 wherein the plates are upper plates of solid plate fastenersthat are sized to extend across a pair of belt ends to be splicedtogether, and recessed apertures at each end of the plates for receivingattachment members that extend through the belt.
 5. The conveyor beltfastener strip of claim 1 including an elastomeric layer on top of theplates integral with the connecting portions so that belt cleanersengage the elastomeric layer during the conveyor belt operationsminimizing chatter thereof and damage to the belt caused thereby.
 6. Theconveyor belt fastener strip of claim 5 wherein the layer and connectingportions are of a predetermined elastomeric material selected to provideat least one of enhanced fire, oil, U.V. and electrostatic resistance tothe material.
 7. The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1 wherein theplates are upper plates of solid plate fasteners for being positioned onan upper surface of the belt and having lower plates separate therefromfor being engaged against a lower surface of the belt end, and theconnecting portions between the upper plates allows the plurality ofplates to be positioned simultaneously on the upper surface of the beltfor attachment thereto for minimizing installation time.
 8. The conveyorbelt fastener strip of claim 7 wherein the upper and lower plates haveapertures for being aligned to receive attachment members extendingthrough the belt, and elastomeric material in the lower plate aperturesto keep the attachment member substantially fixed therein.
 9. Theconveyor belt fastener strip of claim 8 wherein the attachment membersare bolts having an enlarged head seated in the lower plate aperturewith the elastomeric material securing the head therein.
 10. Theconveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1 wherein the plates have at leastone end attached onto the belt end, and elastomeric material extendingaround the ends of the plates to form a leading or trailing edge of thestrip with the edge having a predetermined configuration that is otherthan linear transverse to a direction of belt travel to avoid blunt edgeimpacts with a belt cleaner.
 11. The conveyor belt fastener strip ofclaim 1 wherein the plates including a leading end, and a lead-inportion of elastomeric material that is tapered to extend from theleading end of the plates down toward the belt to minimize impact forceswith a belt cleaner.
 12. The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 11wherein the lead-in portion includes grooves to provide take-uplocations for the elastomeric material with the strip installed on abelt end and the lead-in portion substantially engaged therewith. 13.The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1 wherein the connectingportions lack metal material therein and have substantially linearlyextending thinned areas to allow cutting therealong through theelastomeric material for reducing the number of plates in a strip. 14.The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 13 wherein the elastomericconnecting portions include gaps facing the conveyor belt to allow forpivoting of adjacent connected plates relative to each other, and thegaps comprise grooves that extend linearly and are aligned with thethinned areas in the connecting portions.
 15. The conveyor belt fastenerstrip of claim 3 wherein each of the plates extend in a lengthwisedirection on the belt transverse to the belt end, and the gaps comprisegrooves extending between the plates in the lengthwise direction. 16.The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1 wherein the plates includeleading ends that have elastomeric material thereon, and the elastomericconnecting portions are configured to be recessed back toward the beltend from the leading ends of the plates, and a gap spacing between theplates so that the elastomeric connecting portions lack metallicmaterial therein.
 17. The conveyor belt fastener strip of claim 1wherein the elastomeric connecting portions are formed only withelastomeric material.
 18. A conveyor belt fastener comprising: aplurality of upper and lower plates for being attached ontocorresponding upper and lower surfaces of a conveyor belt at an endthereof; apertures in the upper and lower plates for being aligned witheach other for attaching to the conveyor belt end; bolt members eachhaving an enlarged head and elongate shank with the shank insertedthrough the aligned apertures and the enlarged head received in thelower plate apertures; and elastomeric material molded in the lowerplate apertures to hold the bolt heads therein to keep the bolts andlower plates in a preassembled condition.
 19. The conveyor belt fastenerof claim 18 including an elastomeric layer extending on top of the lowerplates to interconnect the lower plates in a strip and being integralwith the elastomeric material in the lower plate apertures.
 20. Theconveyer belt fastener of claim 18 wherein the lower plate apertures andbolt heads include anti-rotation structure, and the elastomeric materialsubstantially keeps the anti-rotation structure adhered together duringfastener installation.
 21. A strip of conveyer belt fastenerscomprising: a plurality of plates for being attached onto an end of aconveyer belt with the plates extending along the belt transverse to thebelt end; elastomeric material continuously extending across the platesand between adjacent plates to interconnect the plates together; curvedleading ends of the plates; convex projecting portions of theelastomeric material at the curved plate ends; and concave portions ofthe elastomeric material recessed back form the convex projectionportions toward the belt end so that there is a non-linear leading edgeof the elastomeric material to avoid blunt edge impacts therewith. 22.The conveyer belt fastener strip of claim 21 wherein elastomeric leadingedge has a scalloped configuration.
 23. The conveyor belt fastener stripof claim 21 wherein the plates are upper plates of solid plate fastenersthat are sized to extend across a pair of belt ends to be splicedtogether with the plates having curved trailing ends, and convex andconcave elastomeric portions at and adjacent to the trailing ends.
 24. Astrip of conveyer belt fasteners comprising: a plurality of plates forbeing attached onto an end of a conveyer belt with the plates extendingalong the belt transverse to the belt end; a layer of elastomericmaterial continuously extending across the plates and between adjacentplates to interconnect the plates together; a lead-in portion ofelastomeric material that is inclined to extend from a surface of theelastomeric material raised relative to the plates toward the belt andinto engagement therewith to minimize impact forces with the beltfastener strip; and grooves in the elastomeric layer's surface thatcreate take-up locations for the elastomeric material adjacent theretowith the belt fastener strip installed on a belt and the lead-in portiontightly engaged therewith.
 25. The conveyer belt fastener strip of claim24 wherein the grooves extend into the lead-in portion and betweenadjacent plates.
 26. The conveyer belt fastener strip of claim 24wherein the grooves have a diamond shape.
 27. The conveyor belt fastenerstrip of claim 24 wherein the plates are upper plates of solid platefasteners.